The fire in Doñana is not an accident; it is a symptom of a management that allows illegal irrigation and the overexploitation of the aquifer while proclaiming to protect the park. Firefighters are praised, but the political and business leaders who degrade the environment are tolerated. The contradiction is evident and costs lives and nature.
Technology against drought: sensors and drones, the unapplied solution 🔥
Technical tools exist to stop the disaster. Humidity sensors and flow meters in wells would allow detecting illegal extractions in real time. Drones with thermal cameras could identify unauthorized irrigation before the damage becomes irreversible. However, the regional government prefers to allocate funds to firefighting helicopters instead of investing in preventive surveillance. Closing illegal wells and toughening sanctions would be cheaper than putting out fires every summer.
The miracle of prevention: a concept that doesn't burn 💧
The solution is simple: close all illegal wells and fine offenders until they cry more than a tractor without water. But of course, that would mean confronting those who finance election campaigns. Meanwhile, we will continue applauding the hero firefighters, who put out fires that should never have started. Someone should explain to politicians that prevention is not an abstract concept, but something done before the forest burns. But well, that doesn't make pretty headlines.